Sports
Former NBA star Penny Hardaway suggests league lacks element of fun
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Former NBA star Penny Hardaway now devotes most of his time to the film room, practice and the sideline while guiding the Memphis men’s basketball team.
Hardaway, in his eighth year coaching the Tigers, revealed his plans for the upcoming brief holiday break.
Despite a holiday layoff from Dec. 22 through New Year’s Eve, Hardaway plans to watch 50 college games, saying on his weekly radio show that he prefers the college game over today’s NBA style.
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Memphis Tigers head coach Penny Hardaway looks on against the Tulane Green Wave during the semifinal game of the American Athletic Conference Tournament at the Dickies Arena in Forth Worth, Texas on March 11, 2023. (Adam Davis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Hardaway argued the professional ranks lack an element of fun. “It’s just not fun to watch anymore,” the four-time NBA All-Star said. “It’s just not fun to watch anymore,” the four-time NBA All-Star said.
“It’s like, over the years, to me, it’s just getting worse and worse. Not in a bad way. But for me to watch, because I’m in college, I see the fundamentals and playing team ball,” he said. “And just shooting all the 3s now is just a little irritating to me to just watch an NBA game. No one shoots layups anymore. It’s fun to watch for fans.
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“But for guys that were pure in the game, it’s a little difficult.”
Hardaway was the third overall pick in the 1993 NBA Draft and the runner-up at the end of that season’s Rookie of the Year voting. While Hardaway has placed the pros on the back burner, there are still a few teams he enjoys watching.

Head coach Penny Hardaway of the Memphis Tigers reacts during the second half against the Houston Cougars at FedExForum on March 5, 2023 in Memphis, Tennessee. (Justin Ford/Getty Images)
“I do love watching (the Oklahoma City Thunder), not because they’re the best team in the NBA, but they play the game the right way,” he said.
“(And the) Celtics, they play the game the right way. And I still enjoy watching the Grizzlies. I still like watching to see how they’re progressing. The Knicks, watching Jalen Brunson. I watch Minnesota with Anthony Edwards.”

Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway (1) of the Phoenix Suns during the NBA game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center on Jan. 5, 2003 in Los Angeles, California. (Jeff Gross/Getty Images)
While the advent of name, image and likeness (NIL) has been widely debated, it has undoubtedly shifted the college sports landscape. Hardaway acknowledged the changes in recent years but still concluded that college hoops’ style is more appealing than what the NBA presents.
“But I’ll take that style over the NBA,” he said.
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Hardaway has guided Memphis to three consecutive NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament appearances. The Tigers enter Saturday’s visit to Mississippi State with a 4-6 record.
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Sports
Michael Carrick slams ‘astonishing’ penalty calls in Man United draw
BOURNEMOUTH, England — Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick branded the decisions of referee Stuart Attwell “baffling” and “astonishing” after his side suffered perceived penalty injustice in a dramatic 2-2 Premier League draw at Bournemouth.
United took the lead in the 61st minute courtesy of a Bruno Fernandes penalty after Bournemouth defender Álex Jiménez tugged on Matheus Cunha‘s shirt in the box.
Minutes later Diallo was brought down by an Adrien Truffert in the area, only for VAR to deem the contact “was not sufficient for a foul.”
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United’s screams for a penalty were waved away. Seconds later, Bournemouth drove the ball down the opposite end and levelled the scores through Ryan Christie.
United went back ahead on 71 minutes when Bournemouth’s James Hill accidentally nodded a Fernandes corner into his own net.
However, the atmosphere among the travelling support turned when Maguire brought down striker Evanilson with a push in the box that resulted in him getting a red card and Bournemouth an equaliser from the penalty spot.
While Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola said the Diallo collision was “never a penalty,” Carrick said the decisions involving Cunha and Diallo were exactly the same.
“He’s definitely got one of them wrong because he’s given one penalty for us for the same thing that he’s not given one,” Carrick told a news conference.
“There’s a two-arm grab. The Matheus one he gives, the second one on Amad he doesn’t, which I think is almost identical, really. If you have two hands on someone in the box and they go over and they’re in control of the ball, for me it’s two penalties.
“It will be interesting to see which one they acknowledge is wrong: the one we got or the one we didn’t get.
“It’s a huge moment. They don’t give it, they go down the other end and score and then it becomes all of a sudden, ‘oh, it needs to be a bigger penalty to overturn,’ just because they scored, when actually it’s a penalty and it should be a penalty if you’ve already given one.
“It’s baffling really to make sense of that. And because they score, the game flips a little bit and changes.
“We defended with the 10 men after all that very well. But the penalty one is just astonishing, I have to say. One of them must be wrong.”
Man United captain Bruno Fernandes also expressed his frustrations, adding that he believes “small” players do not get the decisions they deserve from referees.
“Not getting a penalty and then we get a penalty against where it’s the same situation as Amad — one is one, one is not,” he told Sky Sports.
“I know it’s difficult for the referee to give two penalties to the same team in one game, but I don’t understand why VAR doesn’t get involved in that situation or with Harry [Maguire] because either one is a penalty and so is the other, or none of them are.
“Amad is getting to a point where he’s going to shoot, and he gets pushed — you can see that something puts him completely out of balance. It’s frustrating for the small players because they always say the small players are soft, and when it’s the bigger players, they end up giving the fouls.
“I think the other situation is a penalty, but I also think the one on Amad is a penalty and that could’ve changed the game.”
United remain in third place after the Premier League and will hope that Liverpool, Aston Villa and Chelsea also drop points this weekend as they fight to finish in the top five to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
PA contributed to this report.
Sports
American Conference Commissioner Tim Pernetti thanks Trump for Army-Navy game executive order
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American Conference Commissioner Tim Pernetti praised President Donald Trump after Trump signed an executive order to protect the exclusive broadcasting window for the annual Army-Navy football game.
Pernetti expressed the conference’s “deep gratitude” for the order.
“The American Conference is deeply grateful to President Trump for his strong leadership in issuing the historic executive order to preserve America’s Game,” Pernetti said in a statement.
“This is a meaningful step that protects a cherished national tradition and reinforces what makes the Army-Navy Game so special to our country.
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President Donald Trump holds up a signed executive order during the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy presentation with the Navy Midshipmen football team in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., March 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
“The Army-Navy Game represents far more than football. It honors our service academies, highlights the character and commitment of our future leaders and brings Americans together around values that matter deeply, including service and sacrifice.
“This executive order is a positive step for the sport, for our service academies and for the enduring legacy of America’s Game. We are proud to be a part of the team working to protect it.”
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President Donald Trump is escorted onto the field to take part in the ceremonial coin toss before the start of a game between Army and Navy at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore Dec. 13, 2025. (Stephanie Scarbrough/AP Photo)
Trump signed the order Friday as he presented the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy to the Navy football team in the East Room of the White House. The order directs the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Department of Commerce to coordinate with relevant parties, including the NCAA, the College Football Playoff (CFP) and broadcast partners, to secure an exclusive broadcast window for the standalone game.
The executive order came amid growing concerns that an expanding College Football Playoff calendar could encroach on the game’s traditional date, which since 2009 has been played exclusively on the second Saturday in December.
The classic rivalry, first played in 1890, has been played annually since 1930 and typically draws 7 million to 8 million viewers, making it one of the highest-rated regular-season games in college football. The current television agreement with CBS Sports runs through 2038.
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President Donald Trump tosses a coin before a game between the Army and Navy in Baltimore Dec. 13, 2025. (Alex Wroblewski/AFP via Getty Images)
Trump, who has attended multiple Army-Navy games as president, framed the move in January as an act of patriotism, writing on social media, “Under my Administration, the second Saturday in December belongs to Army-Navy, and ONLY Army-Navy!”
As the postseason structure of college football continues to evolve, this executive order signals a significant commitment by the administration to maintain the standalone grandeur of a matchup defined by the phrase “sing second.”
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Sports
How to watch 2026 NCAA swimming and diving championships
Top swimmers and divers across the NCAA look to bring their school a title at the 2026 swimming and diving championships. ESPN’s coverage includes men’s and women’s feeds available on ESPN+. Virginia women will look to capture their fifth straight title, while Texas will try to repeat as champions on the men’s side.
Check out key facts about the NCAA swimming and diving championships below:
How can fans watch?
Both championships can be watched on ESPN+. Streams are available on the NCAA swimming and diving streaming hub.
What are the dates?
The men’s championship runs March 25-28 and the women’s championship is March 18-21.
What is the schedule?
*All times Eastern
Men’s
March 25: 10 a.m., ESPN+
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1650-yard freestyle
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200-yard medley relay
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800-yard freestyle relay
March 26: 10 a.m., ESPN+
March 27: 10 a.m., ESPN+
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100-yard backstroke
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200-yard breaststroke
-
500-yard freestyle
-
50-yard freestyle
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400-yard medley relay
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3-meter diving
March 28: 10 a.m., ESPN+
Women’s
March 20: ESPN+
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100-yard backstroke
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200-yard breaststroke
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500-yard freestyle
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50-yard freestyle
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400-yard medley relay
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3-meter diving
March 21: 10 a.m., ESPN+
Check out the ESPN college sports hub page for news, features and more.
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